No Escape
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: Sequel to Dead and Alive When James finds out a dark secret about one of Team Rocket's squadrons, he wants out of the organization. But it isn't that easy to get out . . . not when he knows so much he shouldn't have ever seen.


Pokemon  
  
No Escape  
  
By Lucky_Ladybug  
  
Notes: The characters aren't mine and the story is XD This is the long-awaited sequel to Dead and Alive, so you may want to read that to refresh your memories on what's goin' down. MUWAHAHA. . . . Oh! And this does allude to a story I did called Sacrifice, incase anyone wants to look it up.  
  
  
  
  
  
It has been several months since James nearly died in a fire set off by Giovanni and wound up with amnesia. Ever since the climatic battle with the Team Rocket leader in a factory, which culminated with James regaining his memories and Giovanni plunging into the unknown far below the narrow catwalk, things haven't quieted down. Another Giovanni has shown up, claiming that he is the real one and that the other one is simply an imposter. Jessie and James have quickly plunged into another world of intrigue, trying to unravel the mystery and stay alive at the same time. Then, during one of their investigations, James finds out things about their organization that he would much rather not know . . . and now the truth will be out.  
  
  
  
  
  
"James!" Jessie hissed as the twosome hid around a corridor. "Get back! They're going to see you!"  
  
Quickly the blue-haired boy withdrew into the shadows, staring ahead with his wide, emerald orbs. "Jessie, I still don't understand how spying on Tyson's squadron is going to help us find anything out!" he whined.  
  
"Well, I don't either, but we have to try something!" Jessie retorted. "After all, that imposter Giovanni or whoever he was seemed to be working closely with Tyson, from what other agents have told me!"  
  
"We're all gonna get hurt if youse two can't settle down and quit arguin' all the time!" Meowth spoke up grouchily. "Maybe we should all split up!"  
  
"That's a terrible idea, Meowth," Jessie grumbled.  
  
"Hey!" one of Tyson's agents yelled, suddenly spotting them. "Who are you clowns and what are you doing here?!"  
  
"See what I mean?!" Meowth cried, jumping up and down angrily. "The trouble's startin' already! We can't let them know who we are! Someone might catch on immediately!"  
  
"Alright, *now* let's split up!" Jessie burst out in irritation, dashing off in one direction while James went another way and Meowth went a third.  
  
****  
  
James had been running for what seemed like ages when he abruptly heard voices nearby. Quickly the boy darted behind a pillar, watching as a door at the end of the long corridor opened and several agents in blood-stained uniforms stepped out. James let out a silent gasp at the sight. What had they been doing?!  
  
In the next moment he found out—and he was absolutely alarmed.  
  
"Bring the kid out," Tyson directed, and two more agents dragged a lifeless, still, dead-looking body into the hall. His shirt was gone and his pants were badly torn, revealing terrible wounds all over his legs. Blood dripped from his chest and arms, staining the white floor and leaving morbid reminders of Team Rocket's treachery. "He was a stubborn one." The man narrowed his eyes angrily. "Even after everything we put him through, he still wouldn't tell us what we wanted to know!"  
  
"It was fun torturing him, though," one of his men laughed.  
  
James stared in disbelief. That boy . . . he . . . he couldn't be any older than James himself! And . . . and . . . Tyson had ordered his men to . . .  
  
James clutched at the pillar, his knuckles going white. Of course Team Rocket was known for going around and trying to steal the most powerful Pokemon in the world, but . . . but . . . James had never imagined that . . . that they would actually . . . KILL someone to get what they wanted! James could never dream of doing such a wicked thing!  
  
"Giovanni isn't gonna be pleased," one of the other men remarked. "He wanted the kid to tell what he knew before he croaked."  
  
"Shuddap," Tyson growled. "There has to be some other way to get the secrets of the Pharaoh's powers. We're not gonna disappoint Giovanni again."  
  
James was too distraught to wonder what on earth Tyson meant about a Pharaoh. He watched speechlessly as they dragged the boy's body down the hall.  
  
Now Tyson smirked with some semblance of sick pleasure. "Take the corpse back to that tattoo-face we're still holding captive. This'll give him something to think about!"  
  
Before long the men disappeared around a corner, leaving James standing horrified behind the pillar.  
  
"This . . . this is outrageous!!" the boy screamed as soon as he was certain no one would hear him. "They . . . they killed him!! They actually killed him!! I . . . I can't stay in such an organization!! I can't!!!" He turned to run and instead found himself facing Jessie and Meowth.  
  
"James!" Jessie said hotly. "We could hear you all the way down the hall!"  
  
"What's the matter with you?!" Meowth added in annoyance. "We've gotta go report to Giovanni now!"  
  
"No!" James retorted furiously. "We are not going to report to Giovanni!"  
  
"James, what's gotten into you?!" Jessie demanded. She hardly ever saw mild-mannered James act so angry.  
  
"What's gotten into me?!" James stormed over to where the boy's blood still stained the floor tiles and motioned for Jessie and Meowth to follow him. "Look at this!! Tyson and his squadron killed a boy not any older than us, Jessie! They killed him because he wouldn't give them the information they wanted!!"  
  
Jessie stared. "There has to be a mistake," she said slowly. "Team Rocket is an organization of thieves, not murderers!"  
  
"There is no mistake!" James yelled. "I heard everything with my own ears!! Giovanni told them to do this!!"  
  
Meowth stared and blinked at the blood. "Are you sure, Jim? Maybe Tyson was doin' something on his own and we should tell the boss . . ."  
  
"Don't you get it, Meowth?!" James' voice climbed higher and higher as he grew more and more hysterical. "Tyson had permission to do this!!" He clenched his fists. "I wonder how often this sort of treachery goes on. You know, at this point I can't even blame the twerps for hating us so badly! What if they found out about these sorts of acts and thought that we supported them?!"  
  
"James, I've never seen you like this," Jessie said quietly.  
  
James threw his Team Rocket jacket to the floor. "You didn't see what I saw, Jessie! You didn't see that boy laying brutally beaten and dead because of what Tyson's men did!" He turned to find the nearest exit. "But I won't stay mixed up with a bunch of murderers! You can both stay if you want to, but I don't want any part of this!"  
  
"James, wait!" Jessie called after him, but the upset boy was already far ahead of her.  
  
Meowth was still examining the blood. "Do you think Jim really saw what he said he did?" the cat asked. "I mean, I know he exaggerates a lot, but what if this isn't one of those times?"  
  
Jessie slowly bent down to pick up James' discarded jacket. "Maybe it is, Meowth," she said at last. "Maybe it is."  
  
****  
  
James ran for hours, his thoughts swirling. He was certain Jessie and Meowth would follow him out of Team Rocket and into a better life. "We've been living lives of crime much too long!" he declared to himself. "And now, with this going on, we might even be arrested as accessories to murder! Certainly we've stolen a few Pokemon during our stint in Team Rocket, but we never, ever wanted to off someone!"  
  
Hearing a commotion down a nearby corridor, the boy ducked around a corner and watched, looking for some way out. To his shock and horror, he saw a strong, tough man grappling with about twenty Team Rocket agents from Tyson's squadron. Held tightly to the man's chest was the deceased boy from earlier.  
  
Again sickened by what Tyson's men had done, James clenched his fists and tried to look away from the sight, but he found he couldn't. His gaze kept being drawn back to watch as the man battled his way through, trying so desperately to get away with the boy's body. Were the two related? James couldn't help thinking. Brothers, perhaps?  
  
His train of thought was interrupted by a voice from a loud bullhorn.  
  
"This is the police!! Freeze!!"  
  
The police! James silently cried in horror. If he, Jessie, and Meowth were found in here by the police, they would be arrested for certain—and they hadn't played any part in this abomination!  
  
"Oh, I shouldn't have left Jessie and Meowth!" James berated himself, turning to flee. "Now I'll have to find them immediately before they get wrongly captured! We have to get out of here on the double!" 


End file.
